While the aviation industry has implemented strict security screening regulations, cruise ship security screening remains relatively soft in comparison. This is expected to change as the United States Coast Guard looks to increase screening requirements for passengers and their baggage in 2015.

The US Coast Guard recently announced plans to standardize passenger security screening procedures at cruise ship terminals throughout the United States with the creation of the Terminal Screening Program (TSP).

In April, U.S. Representatives Dogget (TX), Costa (CA), and Tsongas (MA) became co-sponsors of the Cruise Passenger Protection Act, a bill making its way through congress that will increase the requirements on the cruise ship industry to improve the safety and security of passengers. By Christopher Elliott, Washington Post — The remarkable thing about the […]

Nearly four years after passage of a comprehensive cruise safety law, the U.S. Coast Guard is getting ready to propose a rule for three of the trickiest provisions in the legislation. The proposed rule, expected out in June, will outline how cruise lines can comply with a requirement in the Cruise Vessel Safety and Security Act that they deploy technology for “capturing images of passengers or detecting passengers who have fallen overboard.” Also addressed in the rule will be how a cruise ship’s video surveillance system should be operated to document crimes on the ship and assist in their later prosecution. Advocates of the law say the provisions will make passengers feel more secure about taking a cruise. But the cruise industry has raised red flags about the cost and practicality of applying the law. In one instance, a cruise line told auditors at the Government Accountability Office (GAO) that just doubling the time it keeps video footage from 14 to 28 days would cost an extra $21.8 million. Most of the 15 provisions in the 2010 act, such as peepholes in cabin doors and standard rail heights, had been translated into Coast Guard guidance by June 2011. The remaining ones involved complex technologies and, in some cases, language in the law that didn’t set a clear benchmark for gauging compliance. In the case of detecting when persons fall overboard, the law called for compliance “to the extent that such technology is available.” The Coast Guard asked for input […]

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A quick overview of any Video Management System (VMS) platform will reveal a myriad of options to provide sustained operational status. Primary and secondary databases, redundant and co-located recording platforms, and critical service fail-over. The evolution of VMS platforms lend themselves to sustaining critical operations and in some cases delivering five-nines of availability for live and archived video.

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I have mentioned in this space before that I have the opportunity to travel a lot and that this has afforded me an excellent view into how airports are run. But my perspective is not limited to their inner workings. In fact, from my office here in Montreal, I can see the O6L and 24R runways at the P.E. Trudeau airport. This means that, every once in a while, I get to watch these feats of engineering and technology move through the air. And I am reminded of the incredible precision required to get so many planes safely through take-off and landing every day. At the same time, I also know that any disruption on the airfield —no matter how small— can delay flights or threaten security.

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Open up any tech publication and you'll find new and innovative ways that artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are permeating every aspect of our lives. This week alone, one company announced that it was battling fraud using AI and another is analyzing Twitter feeds to find romantic matches. So why are AI and machine learning getting so much buzz in security?

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Dedrone, the market and technology leader in airspace security, announced that its team of Echodyne Corporation, Squarehead Technologies and Battelle, won first place at ThunderDrone’s “Game of Drones” outdoor demonstration at Nellis Air Force Base and AFWERX enclave, June 18-20. Hosted by AFWERX, Team Dedrone bested five other teams in the last of three ThunderDrone rapid prototyping events focusing on countering small, unmanned aerial drones. Team Dedrone successfully demonstrated the capabilities of a layered detection, tracking, classification and mitigation solution that defends protected airspace against aerial drone threats.

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It’s time for the Fifth Annual Physical Security and Video Surveillance Market Influencers Nominations. Nominate yourself –or that influential market leader– that others should listen to and take note of their subject matter expertise and industry foresight. Security.World will take nominations through July 31st, 2018.

Resolution terms may be used to describe the size of the image captured at the camera, transmitted over a wire, displayed on the screen, or recorded on the hard drive. CIF, QCIF, 2CIF, 4CIF, and Megapixel are common terms for resolution. When comparing megapixel camera specifications you may notice pixel …